United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Research and Development
Project Summary
SITE Program Evaluation of the
Sonotech Pulse Combustion
Burner Technology
S. Venkatesh, W. E. Whitworth, Jr., C. Goldman, and L. R. Waterland
A series of demonstration tests was
performed at the Environmental Pro-
tection Agency’s (EPA’s) Incineration
Research Facility (IRF) under the Su-
perfund Innovative Technology Evalua-
tion (SITE) program. These tests, 12 in
all, evaluated a pulse combustion
burner technology developed by
Sonotech, Inc., of Atlanta, Georgia. The
burner system incorporates a pulse
combustor, the pulsation frequency of
which can be tuned to induce large
amplitude sonic pulsations inside a
combustion process unit such as a
boiler or an incinerator.
The primary objective of the test pro-
gram was to develop test data to allow
evaluating whether the Sonotech pulse
combustor applied to the IRF rotary
kiln system (RKS), when compared to
conventional, non-pulsating combus-
tion, resulted in: decreased flue gas
NOx, CO, and soot emissions; increased
POHC DRE; decreased combustion air
requirements; decreased auxiliary fuel
requirements; and increased incinera-
tor capacity. The waste feed for all tests
was a mixture of contaminated materi-
als from two manufactured gas plant
(MGP) Superfund sites. One component
of the test waste was a combination of
pulverized coal and contaminated
sludge waste from the Peoples Natural
Gas Company site in Dubuque, Iowa.
The other components of the test waste
consisted of soil borings and a tar
waste from an oil gasification process
obtained from an MGP site in the south-
east U.S. To address the demonstra-
tion objectives 12 tests were performed
under four different test conditions.
Each condition consisted of three iden-
tical tests to obtain data in triplicate.
Test data were statistically evaluated
using the rank sum test. When the rank
sum test is applied to two data sets,
National Risk Management
Research Laboratory
Cincinnati, OH 45268
EPA/600/SR-97/061 September 1997
each containing three data points, the
data sets are different, at the 95 per-
cent confidence level, when corre-
sponding ranges do not overlap.
The results addressing the primary
test objectives of the test program are
as follows: the average CO emissions
at the afterburner exit decreased from
20 ppm (range of 8.0 to 40.0 ppm) for
test condition 2 to 14 ppm (range of
12.6 to 16.0 ppm) for test condition 3;
the average NOx decreased from 82 ppm
(range of 78.3 to 85.1 ppm) for test con-
dition 2 to 77 ppm (range of 68.0 to
87.1 ppm) for test condition 3; the av-
erage soot emissions decreased from
1.9 mg/dscm (range of 0.9 to 2.7 mg/
dscm) to less than 1.0 mg/dscm (range
of <0.8 to 0.9 mg/dscm). Benzene DRE
for all 12 tests was greater than 99.994
percent. Naphthalene DRE for all 12
tests was greater than 99.998 percent.
The combustion air requirements
showed a decrease from the 38,400 to
40,600 dscfh range to the 34,800 to
39,900 dscfh range when the Sonotech
combustor was used; the auxiliary fuel
requirements (natural gas) were practi-
cally equal under conventional and
Sonotech conditions; and the waste
feedrate capacity increased by 13 per-
cent with the Sonotech burner opera-
tional. As the demonstration waste had
a significant heat content (8,500 Btu/
lb), the capacity increase may be trans-
lated into a reduction in auxiliary fuel
needed to treat a unit mass of waste
from 21.1 kBtu/lb for conventional com-
bustion to 18.0 kBtu/lb for the Sonotech
system.
This Project Summary was developed
by EPA’s National Risk Management
Research Laboratory, Cincinnati, OH,
to announce key findings of the research
project that is fully documented in a
separate report of the same title (see
Project Report ordering information at
back).
Introduction
Sonotech, Inc., of Atlanta, Georgia, has
developed a pulse combustion burner tech-
nology that claims to offer benefits when
applied in a variety of combustion pro-
cesses. The burner system incorporates a
pulse combustor that can be tuned to ex-
cite large-amplitude sonic pulsations in-
side a combustion chamber such as a
boiler or incinerator. Sonotech claims that
these pulsations serve to increase the
rates of heat, mixing (momentum), and
mass transfer in the combustion process;
and claims that these rate increases are
sufficient to result in more complete com-
bustion.
Sonotech has targeted waste incinera-
tion as a potential application for this tech-
nology. Accordingly, to demonstrate the
claimed benefits of the technology within
a well-established forum for providing tech-
nically sound and unbiased evaluations,
Sonotech proposed a technology evalua-
tion test series under the Superfund Inno-
vative Technology Evaluation (SITE)
program. The Sonotech proposal was ac-
cepted, and an evaluation test program
was performed at EPA Incineration Re-
search Facility (IRF) in Jefferson, Arkan-
sas.
Description of the Technology
A pulse combustor typically consists of
an air inlet, a combustor section, and a
tailpipe. Periodic variations in fuel oxida-
tion and heat release produce pulsations
in the combustor section pressure, tem-
perature, and gas velocities. When prop-
erly applied, a pulse combustor can excite
large-amplitude (150 dB or greater) pulsa-
tions within a cavity downstream of the
pulse combustor tailpipe. This cavity could
be the combustion chamber of a boiler or
an incinerator, for example.
A retrofit application of the Sonotech
pulse combustion system was evaluated
in this test program. Specifically, the kiln
section of the RKS at the IRF was retrofit-
ted with a pulse combustion burner ca-
pable of delivering up to 73 kW
(250,000 Btu/hr) of heat input from natural
gas fuel to the kiln. This corresponds to
15 to 20 percent of the typical heat input
to the kiln. The RKS was configured as
shown in Figure 1, with the Sonotech com-
bustion system retrofitted into the end plate
at the ash discharge end of the kiln.
Demonstration Objectives
Sonotech claims that the application of
pulse combustion technology to an incin-
eration system has several significant ad-
vantages over conventional (non-pulsating)
incineration. Thus, the general objective
of the demonstration test program was to
develop the data needed to allow objec-
tive and quantitative evaluation of these
claims. Accordingly, the primary test pro-
gram objective was to develop test data
to allow evaluating whether the Sonotech
pulse combustion technology applied to
the IRF RKS, when compared to conven-
tional, non-pulsating combustion, resulted
in:
• Increased incinerator capacity or
productivity
• Increased principal organic hazard-
ous constituent (POHC) destruction
and removal efficiency (DRE)
• Decreased flue gas CO emissions
• Decreased flue gas NOx emissions
• Decreased flue gas soot emissions
• Decreased combustion air require-
ments
• Decreased auxiliary fuel require-
ments
The secondary test program objective
was to develop test data to allow evaluat-
ing whether the application of the Sonotech
technology, when compared to conven-
tional, non-pulsating combustion:
• Reduced the magnitude of transient
puffs of CO and total unburned hy-
drocarbons (TUHC)
• Allowed reduced incineration costs
• Caused significant changes in:

ID fan

Atmosphere
Quench Packed
Column
Scrubber Stack
Secondary
burner
Afterburner Venturi
Air extension scrubber
Natural Scrubber
gas, Solids liquor
liquid Bed
Solids recirculation Carbon bed HEPA ID fan
Afterburner filter
feed feeder adsorber
Feeder
Transfer
duct
Main
Natural burner Flue gas Baghouse
gas reheater
Air Ash
bin
Air
Sonotech Rotary
Burner Natural
kiln gas
system Ash hopper
liquid feed

Secondary Air Pollution

Rotary Kiln Incinerator Primary Air Pollution Control System Control System

Figure 1. Schematic of the IRF rotary kiln incineration system.

2
 — The distribution of hazardous
constituent trace metals among
the incineration system dis-
charge streams (kiln bottom
ash, scrubber liquor, baghouse
flyash, and baghouse exit flue
gas)
— The leachability of the toxicity
characteristic leaching proce-
dure (TCLP) trace metals from
kiln bottom ash, scrubber liquor,
and baghouse flyash
This last secondary objective item does
not relate to any Sonotech claim, but is of
general interest to the overall IRF research
program.
Test Program
To address the test program objectives,
tests at the following four different incin-
eration system operating conditions were
performed:
• Test Condition 1: Conventional
combustion under baseline, typical
RKS operation (28 kg/hr [61 lb/hr])
• Test Condition 2: Conventional
combustion at the maximum RKS
waste feedrate without pulsations
(33 kg/hr [73 lb/hr])
• Test Condition 3: Sonotech pulse
combustion at nominally the same
feedrate and conditions as Test
Condition 2 (34 kg/hr [74 lb/hr])
• Test Condition 4: Sonotech pulse
combustion at the maximum RKS
waste feedrate with pulsations (37
kg/hr [82 lb/hr])
The test waste feed for all tests was a
mixture of contaminated materials from
two manufactured gas plant (MGP) Su-
perfund sites. (The specific components
of this feed are discussed later.) This waste
feed was batch fed to the RKS via the
system’s fiberboard container ram feed
system, which feeds 1.5-gal (5.7-L) fiber-
board containers to the kiln at virtually
any specified feed frequency. When a rela-
tively high heat content material is being
fed, the maximum allowable waste feedrate
is established based upon the onset of
puffs of incompletely combusted organic
constituents (CO and TUHC) that survive
the afterburner.
Given this, Test Condition 1 was at a
waste feedrate consistent with stable in-
cinerator operation under conventional
combustion, with infrequent spikes of CO
and/or TUHC at the afterburner exit. Test
Condition 2 was at an increased waste
feedrate that resulted in routine afterburner
CO spikes. This condition could be termed
borderline acceptable incinerator opera-
tion under conventional combustion. Test
Condition 3 was at the same waste
feedrate as Test Condition 2, but with the
Sonotech pulse combustion system in op- containing three data points (the case for
eration. Test Condition 4 was at a further this program) are statistically different at
increase in waste feedrate, with the pulse the 95 percent confidence level when the
combustor in operation, such that routine data ranges in each set do not overlap.
afterburner exit flue gas CO spikes re-
curred. This condition could be termed Test Results
borderline acceptable operation under Incinerator Operating
pulse combustion operation. Three test Conditions
runs (triplicate testing) at each test condi-
Table 1 provides a summary of the av-
tion were completed to allow the precision
erage incineration system operating con-
of each emission and discharge stream
ditions for each of the four program test
composition measurement to be assessed.
conditions. Each operating parameter
As indicated above, the test waste feed
noted in the table was recorded nominally
material for the test program was a mix-
every 30 seconds over a 4- to 5-hour flue
ture of materials from two MGP Super-
gas sampling period for each test by the
fund sites. One component of the material
RKS data acquisition system. Test aver-
was a combination of pulverized coal and
contaminated sludge/soil waste from the
ages were calculated for each parameter.
The data in Table 1 represent the aver-
Peoples Natural Gas Company Superfund
age value determined for the three tests
site in Dubuque, Iowa. This site is an
performed for each test condition.
abandoned coal MGP site, and the sludge
The data in Table 1 show that the kiln
waste at the site contains high concentra-
exit gas temperatures collected for all con-
tions of coal tar constituents. The other
ditions averaged close to the test program
components of the test feed material were
target of 925°C (1,700°F), and that aver-
contaminated soil borings and a tar waste
age afterburner exit gas temperatures were
from an oil gasification process, both ob-
right at the test program target of 1,095°C
tained from an MGP site in the southeast-
(2,000°F). Afterburner exit flue gas O2 lev-
ern United States.
els averaged close to 9 percent for all test
The hazardous constituent contaminants
conditions, although slightly lower aver-
of all three test waste components were
age levels existed for Test Conditions 3
several polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon
and 4, the two pulse combustion test con-
(PAH) compounds, and the VOCs ben-
ditions.
zene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes
The baseline (Test Condition 1) waste
(BTEX). Although concentrations of sev-
feedrate was 27.7 kg/hr (61.0 lb/hr). This
eral contaminant compounds were quite
feedrate was increased to 33.1 kg/hr
high in at least the tar component of the
(72.8 lb/hr) to give the borderline accept-
waste mixture, it was decided that spiking
able operation associated with Test Con-
the waste feed with benzene and naph-
dition 2. Test Condition 3, with the pulse
thalene would be necessary to guarantee
combustion system in operation, was per-
meaningful DRE calculations.
formed at nominally the same (just slightly
To address the test program objectives,
higher) feedrate as Test Condition 2, as
the composite waste feed, the kiln ash
planned. The Test Condition 3 feedrate
discharge, the scrubber system liquor, the
was 21 percent greater than the Test Con-
collected baghouse ash, the afterburner
dition 1 feedrate. A further 13-percent
exit flue gas particulate, the afterburner
feedrate increase over that for Test Con-
exit flue gas, and the baghouse exit flue
dition 2 was possible before incinerator
gas for each test were sampled and ana-
operation entered the borderline accept-
lyzed for sample-matrix-specific combina-
able regime with the pulse combustion
tions of PAHs, VOCs, contaminant trace
system in operation. Thus, with respect to
metals, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins
the Sonotech claim that increased incin-
and polychlorinated dibenzofurans
erator capacity can be realized with pulse
(PCDDs/PCDFs), and TCLP-leachable
combustion, test data show that a capac-
trace metals. In addition, the total organic
ity increase in the range of 13 percent
carbon (TOC) content of the afterburner
(comparing Test Condition 4 to Test Con-
exit flue gas particulate was determined
dition 2) can indeed be realized.
and used as the measure of soot emis-
The data in Table 1 further show that
sions. Later in the test program, measur-
the total system heat input needed to main-
ing the heating value of each test’s kiln
tain target incineration temperatures was
ash discharge was added as an indication
relatively constant for all four test condi-
of waste treatment residue quality in terms
tions at about 645 kW (2.2 MBtu/hr). Spe-
of completeness of waste burnout.
cifically comparing the auxiliary fuel use
Test data from the program were evalu-
for Test Condition 3 to that for Test Con-
ated using the rank sum test. The rank
dition 2 shows that the auxiliary fuel re-
sum test says the two data sets, each
quirements were nominally the same.
3
Table 1. Test Condition Operating Data

Test condition average (3 tests)

1 2 3 4
Conventional Conventional Pulsations Pulsations
Parameter baseline max. feed feed as in 2 max. feed
Waste feedrate, kg/hr (lb/hr) 27.7 (61.0) 33.1 (72.8) 33.5 (73.6) 37.5 (82.4)

Kiln

Gas temperature, °C (°F) 935 (1,720) 940 (1,730) 925 (1,700) 925 (1,700)

Solids bed temperature, °C (°F) 965 (1,770) 990 (1,810) 1,020 (1,870) 1,030 (1,890)

Afterburner exit gas temperature, 1,095 (2,000) 1,095 (2,000) 1,095 (2,000) 1,095 (2,000)
°C (°F)

Afterburner exit O2, % 9.3 9.3 8.7 8.5

Heat input, kW (kBtu/hr)

Waste feed 153 (522) 176 (601) 184 (628) 204 (697)

Kiln auxiliary fuel

Main burner 193 (659) 148 (506) 82 (282) 60 (205)

Sonotech burner 0 (0) 0 (0) 59 (200) 59 (200)

Total kiln 193 (659) 148 (506) 141 (482) 119 (405)

Afterburner auxiliary fuel 297 (1,012) 303 (1,035) 321 (1,094) 317 (1,082)

Total auxiliary fuel 489 (1,668) 454 (1,551) 462 (1,576) 436 (1,487)

Total system heat input, kW (kBtu/hr) 642 (2,190) 630 (2,152) 646 (2,204) 640 (2,184)

Auxiliary fuel consumption per unit of 63.6 (27,400) 49.2 (21,100) 49.7 (21,400) 41.8 (18,000)
waste treated, MJ/kg (Btu/lb)

Thus, the Sonotech claim that decreased
auxiliary fuel use would be possible with
the application of pulse combustion is not
supported by the test data. However, be-
cause the waste treated in these tests
had significant heat content, the capacity
increase noted above equates to a corre-
sponding decrease in the auxiliary fuel
consumed per unit of waste treated. Com-
paring the auxiliary fuel consumption per
unit of waste treated for Test Condition 4
to that for Test Condition 2 shows that the
feedrate increase allowed by the Sonotech
system yields a corresponding decrease
in auxiliary fuel use per unit of waste
treated from 49.2 MJ/kg (21,200 Btu/lb) to
41.9 MJ/kg (18,000 Btu/lb). Visual obser-
vations suggest that the Sonotech system
produced visually improved mixing in the
kiln chamber.
With respect to combustion air require-
ments, the data in Table 1 show that less
combustion air was required, when the
same feedrate was used, for the pulse
combustion test condition compared to the
conventional combustion test condition.
POHC DREs and Residue
Quality
The POHC DREs and emission rates at
the two flue gas locations sampled are
summarized in Table 2. As shown in the
table, naphthalene DREs measured at both
the afterburner exit and the baghouse exit
were uniformly 99.999 percent or greater
for all tests, and were not affected by the
different test conditions or different waste
feedrates. Benzene DREs measured at
the two locations were uniformly
99.994 percent or greater (one baghouse
exit benzene DRE measurement was
99.989 percent), and again not affected
by the different test conditions.
The average naphthalene emission rate
at the afterburner exit was reduced from
1.2 mg/hr (range of 0.4 to 2.6 mg/hr), for
conventional combustion at Test Condi-
tion 2, to 1.1 mg/hr (range of <0.3 to
2.5 mg/hr), with the Sonotech system at
the Test Condition 3. The average ben-
zene emission rate at the afterburner exit
was reduced from 7.7 mg/hr (range of 2.1
to 12), for Test Condition 2, to 5.7 mg/hr
(range of 3.4 to 6.9), for Test Condition 3.
However, the significance of the decreases
is also difficult to judge because both fall
within the precision of the respective flue
gas concentration measurement methods.
With respect to this, it bears noting that
benzene emissions increased from Test
Condition 2 to Test Condition 3 when mea-
sured at the baghouse exit.
The kiln ash heating value data shown
in Table 1 suggest that incineration resi-
due quality, as measured by residue (kiln
ash) heating value, was improved with
pulse combustion. A decrease in kiln ash
heating value from 3.1 MJ/kg (1,340 Btu/
lb), for Test Condition 2, to <1.1 MJ/kg
(<500 Btu/lb), for Test Condition 3, at the
same nominal feedrate but with pulse com-
bustion, was seen. The solids bed tem-
perature data shown in the table are
consistent with this decrease. Solids bed
temperatures were measured at four axial
locations in the kiln during the tests. The
temperature at the location recording the
peak temperature for each test was aver-
aged over the flue gas sampling period
for that test. The entries in Table 1 repre-
sent the average of these individual test
averages for the three test runs at each
test condition. The data show an increase
in average peak solids bed temperature
of from 965°C (1,770°F) (Test Condition 1)

4
 Table 2. Test Program POHC DRE Summary

Benzene Naphthalene
Afterburner exit Baghouse exit Afterburner exit Baghouse exit
Feed- Emission Emission Feed- Emission Emission
rate rate, DRE, rate, DRE, rate rate, DRE, rate, DRE,
g/hr mg/hr % mg/hr % g/hr mg/hr % mg/hr %
Condition 1

Test 1 253.1 44 99.99 <1.2 >99.999 378.0 6.2 99.998 5.9 99.998
Test 6 253.1 7.6 8 2.1 99.999 378.0 2.9a 99.999 3.1a 99.999
Test 10 244.1 14.8 99.99 3.4 99.998 364.5 <0.3 >99.999 2.5a 99.999
Average 8.9 6 2.2 99.999 3.1 99.999 3.8 99.999
99.99
4
99.99
6
Condition 2

Test 2 298.3 9.0 99.99 31.0 99.989 445.5 2.6a 99.999 6.0 99.999
Test 7 307.3 2.1 6 <0.9 >99.999 459.0 0.6a 99.999 <0.3 >99.999
Test 11 289.2 12.0 99.99 0.6 99.999 432.0 0.4a 99.999 3.5a 99.999
Average 7.7 9 1.5 99.996 1.2 99.999 3.3 99.999

5
99.99
5
99.99
7

Condition 3

Test 3 289.2 6.9 99.99 6.4 99.997 432.0 2.5a 99.999 2.4a 99.999
Test 5 307.3 3.4 7 1.5 99.999 459.0 <0.3 >99.999 0.6a 99.999
Test 9 307.3 6.7 99.99 2.9 99.999 459.0 0.5a 99.999 1.6a 99.999
Average 5.7 8 3.6 99.998 1.1 99.999 1.5 99.999
99.99
7
99.99
7

Condition 4

Test 4 343.5 10.4 99.996 2.5 99.999 513.0 0.6b 99.999 1.4b 99.999
Test 8 334.4 11.7 99.996 <1.5 >99.999 499.5 0.5b 99.999 2.2b 99.999
Test 12 334.4 50.9 99.998 1.1 99.999 499.5 1.3b 99.99 0.4b 99.999
a
Average concentration of three pairs of M0030 VOST tubes.
b
Analyte detected below lowest calibrated level.
“<“ = Analyte below method detection limit.
to 990°C (1,810°F) (Test Condition 2), for
conventional combustion, to 1,020°C
(1,870°F) (Test Condition 3) to 1,030°C
(1,890°F) (Test Condition 4), for pulse
combustion. Specifically, comparing the
data for Test Condition 3 to those for Test
Condition 2 shows an increase from 990°C
(1,810°F), for conventional combustion, to
1,020°C (1,870°F), for pulse combustion,
at the same waste feedrate and other
system operating conditions. These data
suggest that the Sonotech claim of in-
creased heat transfer rates with pulse com-
bustion, specifically to the solids bed, is
justified. An increase in heat transfer rate
to the solids bed would cause the in-
creased bed temperatures seen and the
corresponding decrease in kiln ash dis-
charge heating value.
CO, NOx, and Soot Emissions
Table 3 summarizes the continuous
emissions monitor (CEM) and soot emis-
sions data for the test program. As for the
operating conditions data, summarized in
Table 1, CEM readings were recorded at
nominally 30-second intervals on the RKS
data acquisition system. These readings
were averaged over the flue gas sampling
period for each test. The CEM entries in
Table 3 represent the average of each
test’s average for the three tests at each
test condition.
The data in Table 3 show that average
kiln exit CO levels substantially increased
with pulse combustion, from 68 ppm at
7 percent O2 for the two conventional com-
bustion test conditions (1 and 2), to
117 ppm at 7 percent O2 for Test Condi-
tion 3 and to 153 ppm at 7 percent O2 for
Test Condition 4. This increase is consis-
Table 3. Continuous Emissions Monitor Data
Test condition average (3 tests)
1 2
Conventional
Constituent baseline
Kiln exit:
CO, ppm at 7% O2 68
Afterburner exit:
CO, ppm at 7% O2 15
NOx, ppm at 7% O2 90
Soota, mg/dscm at 7% O2 <1.3b
Baghouse exit:
NOx, ppm at 7% O2 88
a
Measured as TOC in particulate.
b
Measured for only one test.
tent with both the kiln solids bed tempera-
ture and the kiln ash residue quality data
in Table 1. As discussed above, pulse
combustion caused increased kiln solids
bed temperatures and decreased kiln ash
heating values, suggesting that pulse com-
bustion caused a greater degree of waste
feed organic content devolatilization into
the kiln combustion gas. The observation
that kiln exit CO levels were increased
with pulse combustion suggests that the
greater amounts of devolatilized organics
were not completely destroyed in the kiln.
Average afterburner exit CO levels were
decreased to 15 ppm at 7 percent O2
(range of 8.7 to 25.6 ppm), for Test Con-
dition 1, and to 20 ppm at 7 percent O2
(range of 8.0 to 40.0 ppm), for Test Con-
dition 2. Compared to conventional com-
bustion, pulse combustion produced
slightly lower average afterburner exit CO
levels. Comparing Test Condition 3 (pulse
combustion) to Test Condition 2 (with con-
ventional combustion), both of which had
the same waste feedrate, shows that pulse
combustion resulted in decreased aver-
age afterburner exit CO emissions of
14 ppm at 7 percent O2 (range of 12.6 to
16.0 ppm. Even at the increased waste
feedrate achieved with pulse combustion
for Test Condition 4, afterburner exit CO
levels were only marginally increased, to
17 ppm at 7 percent O2 (range of 10.5 to
26.2 ppm) — higher than the Test Condi-
tion 3 level, but still lower than the Test
Condition 2 level.
CO is the final incomplete combustion
product in the series of reactions that con-
verts the carbon in organic constituents to
CO2. Thus, an explanation for why after-
burner exit CO levels under pulse com-
3 4
Conventional Pulsations Pulsations
max. feed feed as in 2 max. feed
68 117 153
20 14 18
82 77 78
1.9 <1.0 1.3
85 78 72
6
bustion operation were lower than under
conventional combustion operation, while
kiln exit levels were higher, may be that
organic constituent combustion in the kiln
was more complete under pulse combus-
tion operation. More complete organic con-
stituent combustion can result in higher
CO (the final incomplete combustion prod-
uct) levels, while other unburned hydro-
carbon levels, including soot, would be
decreased. In such cases, the burden on
the afterburner to carry the destruction
process to completeness would be less-
ened, resulting in lower afterburner exit
CO levels.
The afterburner exit soot emissions data
(measured as TOC in the afterburner exit
particulate) show a consistent pattern. The
soot emission levels given in Table 3 again
represent the average of the levels mea-
sured for each of the three tests at each
respective condition, with the exception of
the level noted for Test Condition 1. The
afterburner exit particulate for only one
Test Condition 1 test was analyzed for
TOC, so the Test Condition 1 value in
Table 3 reflects only this one measure-
ment. Soot emission levels were <1.3 mg/
dscm at 7 percent O2 for Test Condition 1,
the baseline, conventional combustion test
condition. They were increased, to 1.9 mg/
dscm at 7 percent O2 (range of <0.9 to
2.7), for Test Condition 2. However, with
pulse combustion at the same feedrate
for Test Condition 3, soot emissions de-
creased to <1.0 mg/dscm at 7 percent O2
(range of<0.8 to 0.9). Even at the in-
creased waste feedrate achieved for Test
Condition 4, afterburner exit soot emis-
sions, at 1.3 mg/dscm (range of <0.9 to
1.8), were less than those measured for
Test Condition 2.
Afterburner and baghouse exit NOx
emissions were comparable from test con-
dition to test condition and were 90 and
88 ppm at 7 percent O2 (ranges of 85.5 to
93.9 and 85.8 to 91.1), respectively, for
Test Condition 1, and a slightly decreased
82 and 85 ppm at 7 percent O2, (ranges of
78.3 to 85.1 and 83.6 to 86.3) for Test
Condition 2. Levels of afterburner and
baghouse exit NOx were, respectively, 77
and 78 ppm at 7 percent O2 (ranges of
68.0 to 87.1 and 76.6 to 79.6), for Test
Condition 3 (under pulse combustion), and
78 and 72 ppm at 7 percent O2 (ranges of
73.7 to 81.4 and 68.7 to 75.5), for Test
Condition 4 (also under pulse combus-
tion). Although the Sonotech claim that
pulse combustion would result in de-
creased NOx emissions was confirmed by
the test data, the reductions achieved were
small, and from low initial NOx levels.
Residue Discharge
Composition
No PAH or BTEX constituent, with the
exception of benzene in a few cases, was
detected in any kiln ash or scrubber liquor
sample from any test. Detection limits for
PAHs were 0.1 to 0.3 mg/kg, in kiln ash,
and 1 to 3 µg/L, in scrubber liquor. Detec-
tion limits for BTEX constituents were 1 to
10 mg/kg, in kiln ash, and 1 to 10 µg/L, in
scrubber liquor. Benzene was found in
the kiln ash samples from one Test Con-
dition 2 test, from one Test Condition 3
test, and from all three Test Condition 4
tests, but at levels only slightly above the
method detection limit of 1 mg/kg.
Incinerator feed, flue gas, and residue
discharge samples were analyzed for an-
timony, barium, beryllium, cadmium, chro-
mium, lead, and mercury. No antimony or
mercury was found in any test program
sample. The data show that the distribu-
tion of these metals in the kiln ash dis-
charge did not vary from test condition to
test condition. Concentrations of barium
and chromium in the scrubber liquor were
slightly lower and in the baghouse exit
flue gas were higher for the pulse com-
bustion operating conditions.
The concentrations of the five metals in
TCLP leachates of test feed, kiln ash, and
scrubber liquor samples ranged from not
detected to low. At the concentrations
measured, neither the test waste feed or
the incineration residual discharges would
be a toxicity characteristic (TC) hazard-
ous waste for any test condition, and no
significant variation in leachate concentra-
tions with test conditions was seen.
Dioxin Emissions
Chlorinated dioxins and furans were
measured in the baghouse exit flue gas
for all tests. Test condition average flue
gas concentrations are summarized in
Table 4 in terms of the two summary con-
centration measures commonly reported:
total PCDD/PCDF and 2,3,7,8-TCDD tox-
icity equivalents (TEQs). The entries in
Table 4 are cited as ranges. This arises
from the fact that, in many cases, a con-
Table 4. Dioxin/Furan Emission Results
Test condition Total PCDD/PCDF
Condition 1 0.13 to 0.15
Condition 2 0.092 to 0.099
Condition 3 0.10 to 0.11
Condition 4 0.13 to 0.14
gener group or specific isomer concentra-
tion is reported as not detected. Thus, for
concentrations reported as a range, the
low value corresponds to assuming con-
stituents not detected were present at zero
concentration; the high value corresponds
to assuming these constituents were
present at their detection limit.
The data in Table 4 show that total
PCDD/PCDF emissions at the baghouse
exit were quite low, at 0.15 ng/dscm at
7 percent O2 or less, for all test condi-
tions, and were not affected by the test
condition differences. On a TEQ basis,
emissions were 0.005 ng/dscm at 7 per-
cent O2, or less, and, again, were not
affected by the test condition differences.
Conclusions
The objectives of this test program were
to develop test data to permit the evalua-
tion of Sonotech’s claims regarding the
performance of the Sonotech pulse com-
bustion technology applied to a hazard-
ous waste incinerator in comparison with
the performance of conventional combus-
tion technology. In evaluating the claims,
test data were evaluated using the rank
sum test. The rank sum test allows an
assessment of whether observed differ-
ences in data sets are statistically signifi-
cant. When comparing two data sets, each
containing three data points, the two data
sets are different, at the 95 percent confi-
dence level, when there is no data over-
lap. With respect to the Sonotech claims,
test data show that the application of the
Sonotech pulse combustion technology
resulted in:
• Increased incinerator capacity. Ap-
plication of the Sonotech pulse com-
bustion system allowed a waste
feedrate increase of 13 percent
compared to corresponding operat-
ing conditions under conventional
combustion. Because the waste
treated had significant heat con-
tent, the capacity increase equated
to a corresponding decrease in the
auxiliary fuel consumption per unit
of waste treated from an average
Condition average concentration,
ng/dscm at 7% O2
TEQ
0.0004 to 0.0054
0.0004 to 0.0050
0.0003 to 0.0041
0.0006 to 0.0046
7
of 21.1 kBtu/lb (range of 21.0 to
21.3 kBtu/lb) to an average of
18.0 kBtu/lb (16.6 to 19.0 kBtu/lb).
• Increased POHC DRE. POHC
DREs measured for all test condi-
tions were uniformly 99.994 percent
or greater, with no observable ben-
efit, or detriment, due to pulse com-
bustion. Benzene emission rates at
the afterburner exit were reduced
from an average of 7.7 mg/hr (range
of 2.1 to 12) to an average of
5.7 mg/hr (range of 3.4 to 6.9).
Naphthalene emission rates at the
afterburner exit were reduced from
an average of 1.2 mg/hr (range of
0.4 to 2.6) to an average of 1.1 mg/
hr (range of <0.3 to 2.5).
• Decreased flue gas CO emissions.
Average afterburner exit flue gas
CO levels were reduced, from
20 ppm at 7 percent O2 (range of
8.0 to 40.0) in a maximum waste
feedrate operating condition under
conventional combustion operation,
to an average of 14 ppm at 7 per-
cent O2 (range of 12.6 to 16.0) at
the same feedrate with pulse com-
bustion. Pulse combustion allowed
a higher waste feedrate to be
achieved, with average afterburner
exit CO emissions of 18 ppm at
7 percent O2 (range of 10.5 to 26.0),
still below the conventional com-
bustion maximum feedrate condi-
tion.
• Decreased flue gas NOx emissions.
Both afterburner exit and baghouse
exit NOx emissions were marginally
decreased from 82 (range of 78.3
to 85) to 85 (range of 83.6 to 86.3)
ppm at 7 percent O2, respectively,
in a conventional combustion maxi-
mum waste feedrate operating con-
dition, to averages of 77 (range of
68.0 to 87.1) and 78 (range of 76.6
to 79.6) ppm at 7 percent O2 at the
same feedrate with pulse combus-
tion. At the higher waste feedrate
achievable with pulse combustion,
average NOx emissions were 78
(range of 73.7 to 81.4) and
72 (range of 68.7 to 75.5) ppm at
7 percent O2.
• Decreased flue gas soot emissions.
Average afterburner exit flue gas
soot emissions, measured as total
organic carbon or particulate, were
decreased from 1.9 mg/dscm at
7 percent O2 (range of <0.9 to 2.7),
in the conventional combustion
maximum waste feedrate operating
condition, to <1.0 mg/dscm (range
of <0.8 to 0.9), with pulse combus-
tion at the same feedrate. Even in
 the increased-feedrate pulse com- age of 37,600 dscf/hr (range of significant differences in metals distribu-
bustion test condition, afterburner 34,800 to 39,900) with pulse com- tions among the test conditions are ap-
exit soot emissions were still lower, bustion, based on stoichiometric cal- parent, with the exception that barium and
at an average of 1.3 mg/dscm at culations. chromium concentrations were slightly
7 percent O2 (range of <0.9 to 1.8), • Decreased auxiliary fuel require- lower in the scrubber liquor, and were
than in the conventional combus- ments. No measurable change in higher in the baghouse exit flue gas with
tion maximum feedrate condition. auxiliary fuel requirements to es- pulse combustion.
• Decreased combustion air require- tablish a given set of combustion Although not the subject of the initially
ments. Total system combustion air conditions was observed. defined project objectives, heating value
requirements decreased from an A secondary test program objective was determinations performed on kiln ash resi-
average of 39,500 dscf/hr (range distribution of hazardous constituent trace due samples show that pulse combustion
of 38,400 to 40,600) under con- metals among the incineration system dis- operation improved residue quality by pro-
ventional combustion to an aver- charge streams. Test data show that no ducing a kiln ash discharge with lower
heating value than that measured in kiln
ash from conventional combustion opera-
tion. The observation that pulse combus-
S. Venkatesh, W. E. Whitworth, Jr., C. Goldman, and L. R. Waterland are with
tion operation caused increased kiln solids
Acurex Environmental Corporation, Jefferson, AR 72079.
bed temperatures, likely the result of im-
R. C. Thurnau is the EPA Project Officer; M. K. Richards is the SITE Project proved heat transfer to the solids bed, is
Manager. (see below).
consistent with the lower-heating-value kiln
The complete report, entitled “SITE Program Evaluation of the Sonotech Pulse
ash observed.
Combustion Burner Technology,” (Order No. PB97-189732; Cost: $35.00, sub- The full report was submitted in fulfill-
ject to change) will be available only from
ment of Contract No. 68-C9-0038, Work
National Technical Information Service
Assignments 3-4 and 4-4, by Acurex En-
5285 Port Royal Road vironmental Corporation under the spon-
Springfield, VA 22161
sorship of the U.S. Environmental
Telephone: 703-487-4650
Protection Agency.
The EPA Project Officer and Project Manager can be contacted at
National Risk Management Research Laboratory
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Cincinnati, OH 45268

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